The Flight Risk by Macon Leigh

Author:Macon Leigh [Leigh, Macon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-07T16:00:00+00:00

20

January 5, 1994 – Nashville, Tennessee

“Where have you been?”

I looked toward the kitchen table. I’d been at work. We had finally gotten our spring stock in, and I’d spent the day, the evening, and a good chunk of the night creating displays and logging inventory.

I was the only employee who’d wanted the hours.

Mrs. Woods, my foster mother, was sitting at the kitchen table. She wore pajama pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and, best I could tell, had consumed the missing two-thirds of the giant bottle of wine sitting in front of her.

And maybe another bottle before that.

Her lips and teeth were stained almost bloodred.

“Hi. I was at work,” I answered.

She laughed. It was mean, scoffing.

Cold sweat formed low on my back. I was in trouble. Real trouble.

“I know where you’ve really been.” She struggled up from the kitchen table and blocked the hallway I needed to walk down. “You’ve been with him, haven’t you?”

How’d she know about Ben? Why did she care? I hadn’t even been with him. I hadn’t met up with him since I’d started seeing Harper in October. We hadn’t even talked outside of work since Christmas break had started, not really. And only then it was work related. Helping cover his shifts and stuff. I played dumb. “Him?”

“Scott.”

“Scott?” I seriously had no idea who she was talking about.

“My husband, you whore.” She slapped me. Or, well, she tried to slap me. She missed, did a full three-sixty, and fell into me. I kept her from crashing into the floor. She was sweaty and smelled like wine and cigarettes.

Fear was a metallic coating in the back of my throat.

As soon as she was steady, I let go and backed away, holding my hands up. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m going to bed.”

“You don’t think I can see how swollen your lips are?” She started weeping wildly, trying to pour more wine. “I see you when you come back in the mornings, Baylee! I’m not dumb!”

I sprinted past her to my room.

She screamed obscenities after me.

There was a crash I didn’t turn around to investigate.

I shut my door and locked it.

I was breathing hard. Too hard. I had to settle down. I had to calm down and get all my stuff together. I had to get out of there. That was all I knew, I had to get the fuck out of there.

Something bad was happening, and I wouldn’t be a part of it.

Couldn’t be a part of it.

I pulled my backpack off my shoulders and set it on the bed. Everything that mattered most to me—my most precious books and notebooks—was already in there. I added the rest of my books and belongings—everything that mattered to me and could fit in the bag. I also grabbed the army surplus duffel I’d bought and filled it too, adding my clothes and toiletries and shoes.

I pulled out the top dresser drawer and flipped it over, sending the meager remaining contents flying. I peeled off the pencil case I’d taped there.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.